156 A Narrow Escape. 



be rendered nearly useless. At about four the fog 

 suddenly lifted, exposing to our view land along 

 the port beam, and precipitous cliffs immediately 

 ahead, and within half a mile ! It seemed a pro- 

 vidential escape ! My own predictions were fully 

 realized; we had been steering to the westward, 

 and the bold, steep land ahead was Leopold Island. 



At six o'clock the sun broke out bright and 

 strong, so much so as to make it unpleasantly warm 

 walking the deck ; but the abominable fog still clung 

 to the land, and, as if sorry for indulging us with a 

 glimpse of Leopold Island, again wrapped its im- 

 pervious mantle around it. 



7.30 p.m. — The fog cleared up, exposing to our 

 view the east land of North Somerset. No ice was 

 in sight, but a blink was observed ahead. The 

 land along the coast appears steep and precipitous, 

 though sloping down in places towards the water's 

 edge. It is lofty table-land, and its height I should 

 estimate to be from three to four hundred feet above 

 the level of the sea. The easternmost point of 

 Leopold Island is very abrupt, and from the south- 

 ward appears to be an overhanging cliff; so also 

 Cape Clarence. We passed close to Port Leopold, 

 where Sir James Ross wintered in '48 ; it seems a 

 snug winter harbour, but, though I looked long and 

 attentively, I failed to see any indication of the 

 depot supposed to exist there. Cape Seppings, 

 which forms the southern extreme of Port Leopold, 



